Despite all of the doomsayers, I have to say that I am very, very certain that the world will not end in December of 2012. It can’t, because, for the first time in my life, I am definitely considering subscribing to HBO. According to published reports, sometime in 2013, HBO will be airing a series based on Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. This is probably hardly news at this point, as the Geek world resonated with the fans who saw that on the internet squealing “yes!” with girlish glee, regardless of actual age, gender, or physical appearance.
Tom Hanks’ Playtone company and HBO are reportedly throwing a whole heck of a lot of money at the series, claiming that they’re going to have to do more special effects than anything previously shown on television. Given the nature of Gaiman’s writing, I understand that perfectly. On the other hand, that’s also what has me worried.
Now, Neil Gaiman isn’t God. I know this. I also have a certainty that cuts to the very core of me that if he were God, I’d probably like the world a whole lot better than I do now (certain pieces of it aside). However, if Gaiman wrote it and I know that it’s getting released, you can rest assured that whatever it cost, that bit of my paycheck has been dedicated to it, to the exclusion of everything else except bills. Yes, I said it. I’ll read Gaiman before I eat. I know that I’m not alone.
One of the things that appeals to me about Gaiman’s writing is that it has a timeless quality to it. He has this particular writing voice that comes through in all of his pieces that is at once both gentle and unique. There is a particular cadence to his writing that is immediately familiar and as soon as I settle into the rhythm of this latest thing, it becomes balm to my soul. Whatever he has written, it’s pure magic to me on this bizarre cosmic level that I can’t reach any other way.
The way that he writes is what has me worried, because while I’m breathlessly anticipating this series, I’m living in fear of it, too. I’m scared that special effects and seeing what they can do on the screen is going to overwhelm the story and do nothing but get in the way. If the bells and whistles overtake the characters, it will trip the series up, and with six seasons planned only having one or maybe two would be disastrous.
When a series is clearly mapped out and has a distinct place to go, or, at least, everyone who is writing it knows that there will be an ending and when that ending will be, it makes conclusions much more satisfying. I prefer shows that answer questions. You can leave me with a cliffhanger, so long as I know that it’s going to be resolved (this, by the way, is the only way I can survive being a fan of “Supernatural” this long). The reward for fans with declarations like “this lasts six seasons” is that we all get a more cohesive show and it’s far easier to trust the people who are making it to take care of us. If there are a few fits and starts along the way or a couple of things that didn’t work and had to be dropped, it’s easier to forgive if we know that there is a plan and the show will be okay.
I’m far less worried about casting. Again, that’s largely because of the way that Gaiman writes. When I read one of his books, I know that the characters have physical descriptions. I know that I read those descriptions, but somehow, in learning who they are over the course of the story and becoming so wrapped up in what is happening to them and what is going to happen next, I lose those bits of description. Neil Gaiman is the only author who does this to me. As I read his work, the memories of what each character looked like flutter away on the story and I don’t mind jettisoning them because I didn’t need them anyway. What I need, when I read Neil Gaiman, is to keep reading until I know what happened.
To this day, there are only a couple of his characters that I could even begin to describe reliably, and one of those is because it’s a comic book character and the poster is up in my library/office/writing room. That doesn’t bother me a bit, because I have read something so transcendent that all I needed to do was bask in the words.
So, when it comes to playing that dream-casting game in my head, you know, the one where you try and figure out which actor or actress would best match the movie that the book made in your head, I don’t have any likely candidates. I’m not even sure where to start with them. While I’d certainly like to hope that some of my favorite actors get hired to be in “American Gods,” I’ve never really considered HBO to have an issue attracting real talent. No, the big worry I have has nothing to do with the casting and everything to do with those special effects.
If it gets too effects heavy, there’s another danger, and that’s making everything look dated after only a year or two. If you don’t think that will happen, go take a look at “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” Go ahead. Are you done laughing yet? When that movie came out, we all knew that the special effects were something else. It was cutting edge and amazing. Now? I think I saw a better gryphon than that in an Old Spice commercial. I’d hate for that to happen with a story that could be as cool as “American Gods” could be.
I have noticed a lot of angsting over the fact that American Gods is only one novel and they’re proposing six seasons with 12 or 13 episodes each. Then, in the same paragraph they mention that Neil Gaiman is on board as a writer (and Gaiman himself, while not giving away details does slyly mention that he’s talking and meeting with Playtone and HBO about the series). This immediately makes me feel better about the whole tone of the show. If nothing else, I have absolute faith and trust in Gaiman as a storyteller. If more material is required for the show, he’s the one author that I would count on to deliver it. As long as he is the one they consult for those contributions, then I’m excited for the expansion of that universe.
So, I look forward to 2013 with far more hope than fear. I’m anticipating a very good year, one in which I will be shelling out money for not only TV service, but DVDs and, I’m certain, other show-related paraphernalia, with all the glee of the average kid at Christmas, or average comic book geek on Free Comic Book Day. I will see “American Gods” when it airs. Even if I have to save the world from destruction myself.